Andhra Pradesh government drops aerotropolis in Vizag, airport alone to be built

AMARAVATI: Only a new airport will now be built at Bhogapuram near port city Visakhapatnam as the Andhra Pradesh government dropped the proposal to develop an aerotropolis, official sources said. GMR Airports Limited, which signed the concession agreement with the state government two days ago, confirmed it would be building only an airport and not the other facilities as previously planned.

In January 2018, the then Chandrababu Naidu government had said it wanted to build an aerotropolis that would include aviation-linked manufacturing units, aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility, research and development centre and test laboratories, multi-modal logistics, exhibition and conference centers, leisure and entertainment facilities, aviation education and training facilities. The grandiose plan also included development of the airport with one runway, parallel taxiway and other infrastructure capable of servicing worlds largest aircrafts.